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SUNNY Temp: 52 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, October 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 29, 2003 Houses off Hillcrest Road in Medford crowd against pear trees at Hillcrest Orchard. The orchard's owners want their land included in the city's future cache of buildable land. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Room for growth As Medford considers expanding its urban boundaries into areas of productive farmland, some are asking if the city is going too far Stories by MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Twenty-four years after the first growth boundary was drawn around Medford, a historic orchard on the east side of town has come to illustrate the heart of the dilemma: Must urban sprawl swallow every good piece of farmland in the valley? Owners of the roughly 250-acre Hillcrest Orchard have asked that the land be included in the city’s urban-growth boundary. "The trust is doing what the trust needs to do, to see if the value of their land can be increased," said Michael Cavallaro, executive director of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. The trust was established by Reginald and Maude Parsons, and at some time ownership will descend to their 11 grandchildren in equal shares. Advertisement While the trust has requested that the parcel, a pear orchard and vineyard zoned for exclusive farm use, be included in Medford’s future growth area, not all the heirs agree. "I think it’s an important agricultural asset to the community," said Judson Parsons, 68, of Salem, one of the grandchildren. He said his family owns about 235 acres of the orchard, and he’d like to see the orchard preserved as commercial agricultural land, perhaps with the assistance of federal funding. Hillcrest Orchard is one of about 50 parcels under consideration for inclusion in the candidate future growth areas for Medford. The Planning Commission has already rejected some parcels because they have valuable soils for the agricultural resource base. The planning commission meets at 5:15 p.m. today in Lausmann Annex room 157, 200 S. Ivy St. in Medford, to come up with a recommendation for the City Council. In a series of public open houses, the city heard from hundreds of residents. Some want to stay out, most want in. "Most of the places people ask to be in, generally ... they’d like to be able to develop to urban densities," said Mark Gallagher, adding that there are a couple of neighborhoods whose residents want to be included so they can have access to city services like water. The planning commission is looking at adding 3,000-5,000 acres to its urban-growth boundary in the next 10 to 50 years. The acreage needed will depend on whether density for development is six or eight homes per acre, according to Steve Rehn, assistant planner. He said any higher density is "a political decision." Not everyone agrees the city needs to spread out. "There’s no way they need to extend their city limits or urban-growth boundary at all," said Brent Thompson, president of the Friends of Jackson County. He said it’s high time the city built up, not out. "Medford has no concrete infill program to make efficient use of the city," he said. "They’re wasting land as bad as any city in the United States." But RVCOG’s Cavallaro said Medford and Ashland are the leaders in the valley as far as increasing density. He said part of the problem is that residents are used to having space around them, and are not used to tighter spaces. "People have to warm to it," he said. "You just prove to people that it can really look nice." John Eads, head project coordinator for the future candidate growth area, said this is the time to plan for growth. "Let’s just assume at some point we’re going to have twice as many people as we have now," said Eads. "Where are we going to put them?" He said the reason for this process is so the city isn’t just thoughtlessly bringing rural land into urban areas. He said the parcels being considered, whether requested by the landowner or the city, first have to clear hurdles by the planning commission and other committees, the City Council and county board of commissioners, and then have to be designated as urban reserve, all before they would be included in the urban-growth boundary. "The state would like urban levels of growth to stay in urban areas, and agriculture to stay in agriculture," Cavallaro said. "A lot of times the city’s idea of how they’re going to grow is at odds with the state." Most growth would occur to the north and the east of Medford, and not into the valuable farmland to the west, he said. "We’re not sure exactly how many acres they’re going to need to add," said Cavallaro, adding that the policy committee still has to decide on density. Thompson said he’d like to see Medford increase its density rather than subdivide and develop rural land. "The city leaders of Medford should not pander to developers any more," he said. "They’ve done it enough." Cavallaro said it’s too early in the process to get up in arms about any of it. "Right now what we’re doing in generating this larger pool" of new land for the urban-growth boundary, said Cavallaro, adding that the pool will probably get smaller as the process continues. Cavallaro said that the idea behind the urban reserve is to prevent development that would make future infrastructure, such as roads, more difficult to plan and build. Medford is one of seven Rogue Valley cities going through this planning process, said Cavallaro. Another consideration is maintaining a buffer area between each of the cities, so it’s not just one long undefined city from Eagle Point to Ashland. Cavallaro said that even though the process has been going on for at least three years already, it’s still another 10 to 50 years before the property would be brought inside the urban-growth boundary, depending on population increases. Planning commission member Bob Tull said among the key questions the planning commission asks in considering the parcels includes what value does this property have as commercial agriculture, how easy can the city connect services such as sewer and water to the parcel, and does adding the parcel allow the city to expand the economic base. Tull said the commission is exploring ways to preserve Hillcrest Orchard as a cultural entity for the whole community. "It’s a matter of finding a resource of capital," he said. Tull said this planning is long term. "We’re making decisions for those who will come after us," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] City’s population outstrips boost in urban boundary Although Medford has expanded the area on which it wants to build homes and businesses, the city’s population boom has far outstripped the growth in buildable land. In 1979 when Medford’s urban-growth boundary was first formed, the city included 16,459 acres of land and had a population of 39,603. The UGB was first expanded in 1990 to include 17,889 acres when the city’s population was 47,021. By 2000, the census showed Medford had 63,154 residents, with projections for that number to double in 50 years. Current proposals under consideration would add a maximum of about 5,000 acres, or 30.4 percent, to the first UGB’s area. What led up to the city’s urban-growth planning On its 30th anniversary, Senate Bill 100, the statewide land-use bill passed by the Legislature in 1973 is still guiding Rogue Valley planners. The aim of the state standards, as written by the Land Conservation and Development Commission are: To confine most population growth and urban development within the urban-growth boundaries of cities (not the same as city limits). The boundaries are to contain enough buildable land for a city’s residential, commercial and industrial needs for 20 years. To protect natural features (such as the coast) and balance protection of natural resources with conflicting uses. To encourage orderly development of the economy, housing, transportation and public services. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times